thank you for being part of this great celebration. (applause) >> thank you, mayor lee, very, very much. next i would very much like to introduce another of our key supporters, our district 3 supervisor president of the board of supervisors and one of our two representatives to the bcdc commission, with commissioner ann, and critical to successes such as these. please join me in welcoming president dave chiu. (applause) >> happy holidays, everyone. i was thinking of inviting mayor lee back on the stage to sing along with this band a rendition of sitting by dock on the bay. what do you think, mr. mayor? [laughter] >> but instead what we thought we wanted to do is, of course, sing the praises of our community. mayor lee has thanked all of the amazing city departments that have come together between rec and park and the port and, of course, our dpw department. i want to thank the mayor and

your commissioners for really helping to see this through. and i want to take a moment and thank the community. so many of you here are our merchants, are our members of labor, are our neighborhood leaders who have really come together. we see representatives from our hotels, folks who represent every type of business along in waterfront big and small. but for your support over the years, we wouldn't be here today. when i came in office four years ago, i was told by the constituents of these neighborhoods that we needed to invest in our waterfront. and four years later we're on the eve of cutting the ribbon for the explore atorium. * we just passed a bond measure that will bring two waterfront parks a few blocks from here. this won be possible but for the vision and the foresight that we all have about what we want a 21st century waterfront to look like. i want to thank you for that. i don't see any of my colleagues here. i'm going to say the following. i think this may be the most

beautiful vista vantage points not just in san francisco, but in the entire world. and thank you for being part of it. (applause) >> thank you very much, president chiu. and now it is my honor to introduce the president of our port commission. here today with former supervisor and current port commissioner leslie katz, president doreen has been a great inspiration for our port. she sits on a number of very important boards in the city, and yet has worked tirelessly on our behalf. and, so, please join me in welcoming president doreen wuho. (applause) >> hello, good afternoon. and i'm really here to thank everybody on behalf of the port commission. i haven't been on the commission that long. i know this project started many, many years ago. but as i've learned on the commission, these projects do take a long time. there is a lot of money involved and there is a tremendous partnership. and you heard all the departments that are mentioned. but i'm also here to thank i

guess the previous leaders besides our mayor here. we had mayor brown, mayor newsome, but we also want to thank for their vision that has led us here today. i also want to recognize a couple previous port commissioners. ann hall stead and rodney fong. i learned we all work closely as a team to get to the vision you heard everybody mention. i'm really excited today to be on the port commission because there is truly a renaissance going on up and down the waterfront including projects like this which will provide beautiful public access and all the other things that are going on. i can't think of a more exciting time to be involved with the city and the waterfront and to be on the port commission. so, i just want to recognize and thank also the port staff. there are many of them here today, monique and her staff, and we have members in the development and real estate and i think again it takes tremendous amount of teamwork to make these things happen. and i think again, that is my message to thank everybody. thank you very much.

(applause) >> i'd like to also point out former commissioner fx crowley who is here, thank you president for your kind remarks. now, the mayor mentioned this wouldn't have been possible without the generosity of the voters of san francisco in approving the first general obligation bond that had something in it for the port. and leading the charge on that was our very own general manager of rec and park phil ginsburg joined with the president of the rec and park commission mark beale. (applause) >> good afternoon, everybody. it's such a pleasure to join monique and our port commissioners and the mayor and port staff and the department of public works celebrating this incredible investment in the port, which is such a significant part of our treasured open space portfolio in san francisco. but most of all, mark beale and i are here to thank the community, to thank all of you for supporting park bonds, the

2008 clean and safe neighborhoods park bonds provided almost all of the $10 million of investment in where we are standing today. and thanks to the 72% of san franciscans that voted yes in november of '12, we have another couple million dollars that will work on a little ways down the south area. you can see it. we'll be able to renovate the next piece of this incredible vista and open space. so, we just want to celebrate our tremendous sister agency. here's to open space and here's to recreation and here's to vistas and congrats, everybody. thank you. (applause) >> thank you very much, phil. now, keep an eye out behind me. the vessel has been out of range. before you get too much of their competitive advantage. also i notice the fire boat is going to be coming in to help us celebrate shortly. but next i would like to introduce to you our former

port commissioner president of the department of city planning's commission, president of the wachs museum here in fisherman's wharf, a fourth generation san franciscan, somebody who grew up here in fisherman's wharf, please welcome rodney fong. [cheering and applauding] >> thank you. thank you, monique. you know what, how many fisherman's wharf people are here? raise your hands. so, everyone is very excited here. but i think for all of us, we have to be extremely excited because we -- i can't think of a better word. we actually have a new front yard here at fisherman's wharf, a place to gather to have music, a place to celebrate things. for millions of people who come to the wharf every years, they'll have the ability to enjoy the spot. i'm looking at dan. from your pencil drawing is what this space can be and working with rec and park to fix that idea. congratulations to you and all the port staff. monique, thank you, measuring

engineering staff, you guys got a lot done. this is an exciting day for everybody in san francisco. extremely exciting day for folks at fisherman's wharf. i thank the mayor. we will use this well. thank you. >> all right. (applause) >> thank you very much, president fong. our last speaker is one of our best partners in san francisco. he represents the department of public works. he is the city engineer. without the department of public works, cruise terminal project at piers 27-29 would not be possible. they are probably working on about 40 projects with us right now. we are very much in their debt. and to say a few words, please help me welcome, rod, city engineer. (applause) >> give us $4 million and we'll show you how fast we can spend it. [laughter] >> this is how much we spent on this project since october of this year, in the last 2, 2-1/2 months. so, back in september monique and i sat and discussed this

project and we agreed to set a very aggressive deadline, which is completing this project before thanksgiving and opening the promenade to hundreds and thousands of people to enjoy during the holidays. so, this is what -- the result is what you see today. we managed to do this through sound project management with strong collaboration between port and dpw and through the -- using two procedures, that's our mayor has been promoting for the last 12 months. one is broadening of construction projects and the second is prompt payment. so, when we started in early october, we gathered the entire project team. the contractor his subs, suppliers, the port staff, the consultants, dpw and we agreed on a plan to move forward. we agreed on the deadline and on a weekly basis, we met to hash out every single detail so we can meet this deadline.

the contractor told us if you want to move fast, you need to pay us fast. instead of the 230 day city policy that we use on other projects, on this project we managed to pay the contractor within five days. so, and like i said, this is what you see, you know, today. i want to thank mayor ed lee for his vision and leadership and for his directive to make the partnering on construction projects and prompt payments and to make it much, much easier for small and large contractors to do business in the city. i want to thank monique and the port for their confidence in public works and for the strong relationship and partnership that we forged through completing this project. i'd like to acknowledge the hard work of vortex, [speaker not understood], john miller and alex with vortex. i'd like to thank matt hughey with [speaker not understood],

and i'd like to especially thank my public works team, ray louie, laura lombardi, [speaker not understood], and tim o'sullivan. with them i can tackle the most complex project in san francisco. thank you all. (applause) >> so, as you enjoy this space, first of all, please come back. bring your families. bring your friends. we're proud to have another new space for all of the residents and our favorite dogs who walk along here, as well as the many visitors. as you've heard mentioned today, it has taken a huge community of people to get this done. i'm very pleased to see representatives of the fisherman's wharf community benefit district, the fisherman's wharf restaurant association, all three of our ferry excursion operators, red and white, blue and gold horn blower, colleagues from the u.s. coast guard, [speaker not understood] colleague, many of

the restaurateurs, hoteliers, could you bev, i could go on and on and on. * council i do want to say a very special thank you, though, to the fisherman's wharf group who spent years and years and years thinking about what this might be, which included our very own ann and many of our port staff. it also included the late port commissioner sue beer man, commissioner denise mccarthy, and members of our planning, engineering, and maintenance crews have all had a part in this as well as our real estate and finance division, as mentioned the bond was a city-wide effort. the permitting process was a federal, state and local effort. and, of course, we had just a fabulous cadre of consultants, [speaker not understood], vortex, [speaker not understood], and m.h. construction. and then of course our friends at dpw. so, please give yourselves all a great round of applause. (applause) >> and thanks, and keep pushing along with us.

it make take us decades, but it's long worth the wait. and to celebrate that we are going to cut the ribbon and the three performers, there they are, are going to perform for us. so, i hope you will stick around for that. only in san francisco treat and a little vision accompaniment from our favor fire boat. so, thank you all very much. please, please, enjoy this day. thank you. (applause) >> all right, 3 2,, 1, go. [cheering and applauding] ...

>> hello, i am with the recreation and parks department. we are featuring the romantic park location in your backyard. this is your chance to find your heart in santa and cisco with someone special. -- san francisco with someone special. our first look out is here at buena vista park, a favorite

with couples and dog walkers. both have a significant force. a refreshing retreat from urban life. the romantic past that meander up and down the park under pines and eucalyptus. hang out in this environment and you might see butterflies it, fennel, and then the lines. -- dandelions. is ada accessible. public transit is plentiful. we have conquered the steps, we have watched the dogs, and we have enjoyed a beautiful view. this is a place to take someone special on a romantic stroll and

enjoyed a beautiful look out. welcome to corona heights located in the heart of this district. it offers a view of the downtown skyline, the bay bridge, and the east bay. it is one of the best kept secrets in the city. it is hardly ever crowded. on any given day, you will run into a few locals. , bought a 37 bus to get there without any parking worries. for legged friends can run freely. there is also a patch of grass for the small box. >> it is a great place. it is a wonderful place to have these kinds of parks. that dog owners appreciate it. >> take time to notice of the wildfires that are on the grassland and keep your head out on the lookout for hawks and

other bird life. be sure to take your camera and be prepared to take a view of the city will not forget. it has a beautiful red rock formations. you could watch the sunrise over the bay. this is another one of our great lookouts. we are at mount davidson. 928 feet. this is the place for you to bring someone special. to not forget that dogs and enjoy all of the pathways and greenery that surrounds you. it provides a peaceful oasis of open space and great hiking trails. the spectacular view offers a perfect place to watch the sunrise or sunset with someone

you love. >> it is a good place to get away from the hectic life of the city. come up here and listen to nature, i get some fresh air. that view is fantastic. >> where sturdy shoes. hikers get the feeling of being in a rain forest. mount davidson is also a great place to escape the noise and the bustle of the city. take the 36 bus and it will drop you at the entrance. it is quite a hike to the top but the view is worth every step. this is the place to bring that someone special. golden gate park's largest body of water is an enchanting place.

is a popular spot for paddling around in boats, which can be rented. created in 1893, it was designed for these your boating -- for leisure boating. it is named for the wild strawberries that once flourished. there is also a waterfall, two bridges, and trails the climb to the summit, the highest point at more than four hundred feet. you can catch glimpses of the western side of the city that make this hilltop a romantic look out. for public transit, i take the n train. the lad the ad -- lake is ada

accessible. watch many ducks, swans, and siegel's. -- seagulls. it is a great place to stroll and sail away. many couples come here to take a ride around a lake, going under the bridges, passing the chinese pavilion and the waterfall. for a quiet getaway, making for a memorable and magical experience. located on 19th avenue, this growth is the place to where you're hiking boots, bring the family and the dog because it has so much to offer you and your loved ones. it is a truly hidden gem in the city. the park is rich with eucalyptus trees.

long paths allow you to meander, perfect for a dog walking in a wooded environment. >> i enjoy the history. the diversity of nature that exists in such an urban city, concrete streets, cars, we have this oasis of the natural environment. it reminds us of what the history was. >> there is a section for dogs and plenty of parking. transit is available on the 28 bus to get you very easily. the part is ada -- park is ada accessible. it is also a natural lake. this is your chance to stroll around the lake and let the kids run free. it also has many birds to watch. it is a place to find and

appreciate what you -- a wonderful breath of fresh air. come and experience in this park and enjoy the people, picnics, and sunshine. this is a lovely place to take a stroll with your loved ones. in the middle of pacific heights, on top of these hills, it offers a great square, a peaceful beauty, large trees and grass and greenery. it features tables and benches, a playground, restaurants, and tennis courts. there are plenty of areas for football and picnics. it is very much a couple's park. there are many activities you can experience together. stroll on the pathways, bring your dog, or just picnic at one

of the many tables and enjoy all that it has to offer together. many couples find this is a perfect park to throw down a blanket and soak up the sun. it is a majestic place that you can share with someone you chairs. lafayette park is also easily accessed from the 47, 49, and 90 buses. it is ada accessible. we are here at the historic palace of fine art in the marina district. originally built for the 1950's exposition, the palace is situated on san francisco's number waterfront. it is ada accessible and is

reached by the 28, 30, and 91 bus lines. set against the reflecting waters of the lagoon and eucalyptus trees, the palace is one of san francisco post most -- san francisco's most romantic spots to relax with that special someone while listening to the water and gazing at the swans. a beautiful to view from many locations along the mattoon, an ideal place to -- all -- lagoon, an ideal place to walk with a loved one. reservations for weddings are available at sfrecpark.org. discarding contains plants referred to by william

shakespeare's plays and poems. welcome to the shakespeare garden here in the famous golden gate park. located near the museum and the california academy of sciences, the garden was designed by the california spring blossom and wildfilower association. here is a truly enchanting and tranquil garden along a path behind a charming gate. this garden is the spot to woo your date. stroll around and appreciate its unique setting. the gorgeous brick walkway and a brick wall, the stone benches, the rustic sundial. chaired the part -- share the bard's word hundred famous

verses from a shakespearean plays. this is a gem to share with someone special. pack a picnic, find a bench, and enjoy the sunshine, and let the whimsical words of william shakespeare and floats you and your loved one away. this is one of the most popular wedding locations and is available for reservations. take a bus and have no parking worries. shakespeares' garden is ada accessible. located at the bottom of this hill, it is a secret garden with an infinite in captivating appeal. carefully tucked away, it makes the top of our list for most intimate pyknic setting. avoid all taurus cars and hassles by taking a cable car.

or the 30, 45, or 91 bus. the garden was designed by thomas church in 1957. grow old with me, the best is yet to be is inscribed on a sundial. it is anchored by twin white gazebos and flowers that bloom year-round. this is the place to tell someone special or the place to declare the commitment you two share. weddings and the event reservations are available for this adorable hidden gem. we know there are many other romantic parks in san francisco. we hope you have enjoyed this torre of lookouts, picnics, and

strolls that are available every day. until next time, do not forget to get out and play. for more information about reserving one of these romantic locations or any other location, call 831-5500. this number is best for special events, weddings, picnics, and the county fair buildings. or for any athletic field, call 831-5510. you can write us at -- or walk in and say hello. and of course you can find more information moresfrecpark.org.

-- >> the annual celebration of hardly strictly bluegrass is always a hit now completing itself 12 year of music in the incredible golden gate park. >> this is just the best park to come to. it's safe. it's wonderful and such a fun time of the year. there is every kind of music you can imagine and can wander around and go from one stage to another and just have fun. >> 81 bands and six stages and no admission. this is hardly strictly bluegrass. >> i love music and peace. >> i think it represents what is great about the bay area. >> everyone is here for the music and the experience. this is why i live here. >> the culture out here is

amazing. it's san francisco. >> this is a legacy of the old warren hel ment and receive necessary funding for ten years after his death. >> there is a legacy that started and it's cool and he's done something wonderful for the city and we're all grateful. hopefully we will keep this thing going on for years and years to come.